Swordless Link
by Blood Scribbler
Summary: It all started with the Great Deku Tree mistaking a young child's gender. How does a hero deal with something like that? Link/Zelda in later chapters.


Authors Note: Okay, I had this idea floating around my head for a while. Now to actually start writing it. And here it is.

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><p><em>So, there are some days being me is awkward. Apparently, the day that all of this started, was one of those days. Well, actually, I suppose it started years ago, when my mother left me in the Kokiri Woods and died before telling the Great Deku Tree that I was actually a girl. So I blame her. My name is Linkette, and I guess this is my story.<em>

_**In the vast, deep forest of Hyrule, the Deku Tree has served as the guardian spirit.**_

_**The children of the forest, the Kokiri, live with the Tree, each with a guardian fairy.**_

_**However...**_

_**There is one child who does not have a fairy...**_

I sat up that morning with a gasp, sweat having soaked my blankets. It was that dream again, with the girl in pink... And the man with evil eyes. And the storm. It was always raining in this particular dream... Running my hand through my hair, I flopped back against my pillow... Only to have a bright light shine in my eyes. Not only is it a light, but a little face within the light. It's a fairy. She grinned at me. "Link, wake up! The Deku Tree wants to talk to you! You're such a lazy boy! The world is supposed to depend on you?" Screaming, I bat the fairy away and fall out of bed. "You finally woke up! I'm Navi the fairy! The Great Deku Tree asked me to be your partner from now on! Nice to meet you!"

I untangled myself from my blankets, which were wrapped around my legs, and pulled my hat over my hair. "I'm a girl," I grumbled under my breath, tucking my feet under me while the little fairy flutters in front of my nose. With her hands on her hips, she continued talking to me without even registering that I had said anything. Like usual. "The Great Deku Tree has summoned you! So let's get going, right now!" I sigh and stand up, then head to my balcony.

"Yoohoo! Linkette!" I looked over the edge and saw my best friend, Saria, running down the path to my tree. I grinned and waved back before sliding down my ladder to the ground. Racing up, I hugged the other girl tightly when Navi flew up. "Wow! A fairy! Finally, a fairy came to you, Linkette!" Saria exclaimed excitedly. "Wow! That's great news! I'm so happy for you! Now you're a true Kokiri, Linkette!"

I liked Saria. She was the only one other than the Skull Kid who actually called me by my real name. I opened my mouth to start saying something when Navi interupted. "Link, we have to go to the Great Deku Tree!" she said, hitting me on the head by flying into it. I shot her a glare when Saria gasped slightly. "Is that right? The Great Deku Tree has summoned you? It's quite an honor to talk to the Great Deku Tree! I'll wait for you here! Go see the Great Deku Tree!" I sighed again and started trudging towards the Great Deku Tree's grove.

As I walked, one of the other Kokiri girls called out to me. "Hey Link! Look up here!" she called, waving from the top of the shop. I looked over at the shop, and Navi flew over to the other fairy to say hi. I shook my head and looked at the Kokiri. "Now that's how to use a fairy! It's so great that you have a fairy now, Link!" I smiled as Navi finished up her business wtih the other fairy and flew back to me. I suppose it was good that I had a fairy. Maybe Mido would leave me alone...

Speaking of Mido, he was doing his usual "guarding" of the Great Deku Tree's medow. I trudged across the clearing and stood in front of him. "Mido, move," I told him, Navi having hid behind my head. Mido just stuck his fists on his hips, and sneered at me. "Hey, 'Mr. No Fairy!' What's your business with the Great Deku Tree? Without a fairy, you're not even a real man!" I was going to tell him _again_ that I wasn't a boy, but Navi interupted by flying out from behind my head. "What? _You've_ got a fairy?"

"Yes, Mido, Link has a fairy," Navi said, imitating his pose in mid-air. "And the Great Deku Tree summoned him!" She jabbed him in the nose. "Now move aside!"

Mido blinked at my fairy in surprise. "Say _what?_" he said, his mouth hanging open like a fly trap. "_WHAAAAAAAT?_ Why would he summon _you_ and not the great Mido? This isn't funny..." He looked like he might go off to sulk and give me a chance to slip passed him into the medow. But noooo, he just shook his head and stomped his feet on the ground a few times. "I don't believe it! You aren't even fully equipped yet! How do you think you're going to help the Great Deku Tree without both a sword and shield ready?"

I crossed my arms over my chest and raised an eyebrow at him. "You don't have a sword _or_ shield, Mido," I tell him in no uncertain terms. "How are you more equipped to help the Great Deku Tree than I am?" He worked his mouth a few times, looking something like the fish in the pond of the Lost Woods. "What? You're right. I don't have my equipment ready, but... If you want to pass through here," he said, putting his fists back on his hips, "you should at least get a sword and shield. Sheesh!"

I looked at him, sorely tempted to punch him right in his smug little face. 'Guardian of the Deku Tree' indeed! Flexing one hand, I sighed _again _and turned away. He wasn't worth it. So I went to talk to Saria again. From the look on my face, she could probably tell what had happened. But I told her anways. "Mido won't let me see the Great Deku Tree..." I pulled my hat further down on my head and frowned.

"What? Mido won't let you see the Great Deku Tree?" she asked, pouting in the direction of the Deku Tree's medow. "Ohh... That bum! I don't know why he's always so mean to everyone!" Saria turned back to me, a smile on her face again. She was always smiling when she was talking with me, even when I was angry for one reason or another. "What he said is true, though." Ohhh, I didn't want to hear that, even if she was smiling. Stupid Mido... "The forest... strange things have been happening here lately... You need to be ready for anything. You'd better find a weapon! You can buy a shield at the shop, but there is only one sword hidden somewhere in the forest."

One more sigh. "I'll talk to you when I get back, Saria," I said, grabbing my fairy and stuffing her under my hat as I walk away. She apparently didn't like that, since she started yanking out hairs from my head. "Ow, stop that!" I cried, looking around the clearing for anywhere a sword might be. "Hidden in the forest? Well, should be fun.." I grumble, heading for the training ground. I had heard talk from some of the others that there was a secret hidden somewhere above the grounds, I just had had no reason to go looking for it. I suppose now is a good a time as any.

Navi came out of my hat and glared at me for a moment before flying ahead of me. I glared at her in return. "Don't give me that look," she said without looking back. "You're the one who stuffed me under your hat." I rolled my eyes at the fairy as she flew ahead of me. As if she knew where I was going, she headed right up for the training grounds.

A few minutes later, I crawl out of the hole in the wall, covered in dust, cobwebs, and a few bruises. I had just three questions on my mind as I stood up and dusted myself off. Why would someone put GIANT ROLLING ROCKS in the forest, how did they get in there, and why were they _still_ rolling! I sighed as I strapped the sword to my back. Oh well, not like I was going to go back in there any time soon. Now to see if I had enough rupees for a shield... I did, thankfully. Navi kept urging me to go faster, to get to the Great Deku Tree because it was important. I kept trying to stuff her in a small log to throw in the pond. That didn't work so well.

Mido stood in my way again. Holding his hand out at me, the short jerk stepped in front of me as I tried to walk past him to the Deku Tree's clearing. I sighed and put my hands on my hips. "Mido, move," I said, exasperated at the other Kokiri. Navi started to get into his face, but I grabbed her and threw her behind me. Mido shook his head. "If you want to pass through here, you need a sword and shield," he said, not noticing the sword and shield strapped to my back.

Rolling my eyes, I swung both off my back and into my hands. I smirked as his eyes went wide. "Eh, what's that? Oh, you have a Deku Shield..." he said, sounding a little surprised. Of course I had a Deku Shield! "And what's THAT? Is that the Kokiri Sword? GOOD GRIEF!" I'm sure that the whole clearing could hear his shouting. I twisted a finger in my ear to clear it. He shook his head. "Well, even with all that stuff, a wimp is still a wimp, huh?" Mido puffed out his chest and grinned stupidly. "I, the great Mido, will never accept you as one of us!" Putting the sword and sheild away, I got ready to punch him in the face if he continued with the 'ever so important Mido' act. He stopped, crossing his arms over his chest. "Shoot, how did you get to be the favorite of Saria and the Great Deku Tree? Huh? Grumble...grumble..."

While Mido was pouting, I slipped past him into the clearing where the Great Deku Tree resided. Turning the corner, I leaned against the wall and breathed a sigh of relief. "We're in, and I didn't punch that stupid Mido," I said, Navi fluttering in front of my face. She kicked me in the nose and glared, and before she opened her mouth to yell at me, I swatted her away. "Fine, I'm moving!"

Heading down the trail between the trees, I cut down a couple of Deku Baba's and picked up the stalks from their heads. They'd be useful later, I'm sure of it. Navi flew ahead of me, up towards the top of the tree. "Great Deku Tree... I'm back!" I could hear her small voice from way back here as I strode down the open path to the base of the tree. I looked up into his face, in awe of the great tree who was the only father I had ever known. "Oh... Navi... thou hast returned..." he said, and the fairy flew back down to rest at the top of my hat.

I could tell then that the Great Deku Tree's attention was on me. "Link... Welcome... Listen carefully to what I, the Great Deku Tree, am about to tell thee..." he said to me, his voice booming, but not loud enough to carry past this clearing. "Thy slumber these past moons must have been restless, and full of nightmares..." I nodded slowly, still looking up at the face of the Great Deku Tree. "As the servants of evil gain strength, a vile climate pervades the land and causes nightmares to those sensitive to it... Verily, thou hast felt it..." I nodded slowly.

"Link... The time has come to test thy courage... I have been cursed..." I was shocked. Cursed? Who could have cursed the Great Deku Tree! And why would they do that? The Great Deku Tree was peaceful, he only wanted to protect the Kokiri Forest from dangers outside. "I need you to break the curse with your wisdom and courage. Dost thou have courage enough to undertake this task?"

"Of course, Great Deku Tree! Just tell me what to do!" I called up to the Deku Tree. I could sense he was smiling at me as he continued. "Then enter, brave Link, and thou too, Navi..." he said, a portion of the trunk opening up. "Navi teh fairy," he said again. "Thou must aid Link... and Link... When Navi speaks, listen well to her words of wisdom..."

"I will Great Deku Tree," I say, walking into the opening. I pause just inside and hit my forehead. "Oh shoot, I forgot to remind the Great Deku Tree I'm a girl..."

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><p>Authors Note 2: So, what'd you think? Review's go towards buying little Linkette better armor when she grows up.<p> 


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